borderline personality disorder

list of symptoms

• I feel that NAMI's list of BPD symptoms is pretty good.
• the DSM-V criteria

statistics

• People with BPD are ~1.6% of the population, and 20% of the inpatient psychiatric population
  • Though because of high levels of misdiagnosis and misunderstanding, the actual rate could be anywhere between 0.7% and 2%.
• Up to 10% of people with BPD will die by suicide, though other studies estimate it at 3-6%
• (list of statistics about prognosis)

stigma, both by the psychiatric community, as well as by lay people

• "Studies show that even some mental health professionals have more stigmatizing views about BPD than any other mental health condition: As some choose to limit the amount of BPD patients they’re 'willing' to see or refuse to treat people with BPD altogether."
• "BPD is probably among the most stigmatized. It’s an illness that’s misunderstood among many people, sometimes including doctors and other healthcare professionals. Stigma can lead to many harmful effects, including misdiagnosis."

misdiagnosis

• "BPD is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed mental health conditions. It’s so misdiagnosed, in fact, that there isn’t even an accurate prevalence rate for the condition. What we do have is an estimate of 2–6% of the population, which actually makes BPD very prevalent."
• "BPD Looks Like So Many Other Mental Health Conditions. People with BPD typically also meet the criteria for multiple other diagnoses, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, and so on. ... When these other diagnoses are the focus of treatment, they can dominate professionals’ attention, preventing any significant focus on the whole pattern of difficulties, resulting in missed diagnosis of BPD."

misunderstanding

• "Borderline personality disorder, historically and even presently, is a disorder that has met with widespread misunderstanding. There are many reasons for the confusion. (read more...)
• "Historically, the term 'borderline' has been the subject of much debate. BPD used to be considered on the 'borderline' between psychosis and neurosis. The name stuck, even though it doesn’t describe the condition very well and, in fact, may be more harmful than helpful. The term 'borderline' also has a history of misuse and prejudice—BPD is a clinical diagnosis, not a judgment. Current ideas about the condition focus on ongoing patterns of difficulty with self-regulation (the ability to soothe oneself in times of stress) and trouble with emotions, thinking, behaviors, relationships and self-image. Some people refer to BPD as 'Emotion Disregulation.'"

BPD myths

• from NAMI
• from The Recovery Village
• from Borderline in the ACT
• from PsychCentral
• from McLean Hospital